Re: Terminator gene/biotech URLs

Douglas Hinds (dmhinds@acnet.net)
Wed, 13 May 1998 07:14:46 -0500

Michele Gale-Sinex/CIAS, UW-Madison wrote:
>
> One might argue that
> biotechnology is an effort to supplant that dynamic by making a gun,
> rather than whole-genome sexual recombination, the mechanism of
> biodiversity...which of course says a lot about the culture that
> invented biotechnology...

The gene gun is an asexual micro-surgical technique, manipulative rather
than collaborative, anachronic rather than evolutionary, with obvious
control-freak mentality implications.

And as I've said before, the concept is no different than that which
produced budding and grafting in fruit trees, a practice which
unfortunately has been swallowed whole and unquestioningly by even the
sustainable - organic agriculture movements, despite the fact that an
adequate research program illuminationg the biochemical - physiologic
results of doing so has NEVER been carried out. (In fact, even those
researchers I know who doubt the validity of the practice in private,
are literally afraid to call such a wide spread practice into question
publically, preferring to wait for someone else to come up with solid
statistics before making a move on their own).

I intend to reair this theme a few times a year, unless the situation
changes (i.e., someone with access to the necessary equipment decides to
look into it further).

DH

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